Philips health and Ogilvy call on unlikely aid of Elvis

Philips is in the process of transforming itself into a “health tech” company, “improving lives through technology.” Does that mean it doesn’t make lights and TVs any more?

Demonstrating the efficacy of these gadgets/gizmos/apps in a new global campaign from Ogilvy & Mather is one Keith Hart, a 45 year old software engineer and Elvis Presley fan who monitors his health with a personal programme to ready himself for his debut impersonating Elvis in Memphis.

On the face of it Presley, who had weight problems for years before his early death and whose favourite food was a fried peanut butter, banana and bacon sandwich, hardly strikes you as a health icon. But we press on:

There’s lots of social media stuff besides.

Philips global head of brand marketing Eva Barrett says: “At Philips we believe there is always a way to make life better, and Keith’s story illustrates that perfectly. Changing our personal habits can be overwhelming but small changes every day that are sustained over time are great ways for all of us to reach our health goals. Keith’s story is inspirational and helps to raise awareness that we all need to be more active and take control of our health.”

Ogilvy global ECD Gerry Human says: “This is an uncompromising campaign, allowing Philips to highlight the very real increase of chronic and lifestyle-related diseases and how they’ve developed innovations to help guide people to make positive lifestyle choices. We wanted the brand to stand out and remain memorable by showing work that lies inside real-world conversations that their customers are having.”

Hmm. Maybe we could all take a leaf out of Elvis’ book with a little less conversation, a little more action.

About Stephen Foster

Stephen is a former editor of Marketing Week and London Evening Standard advertising columnist. He wrote City Republic for Brand Republic and is a partner in communications consultancy The Editorial Partnership.